Morning's Truth
by Maia Serrelinda
Summary: Last part of the trilogy that began with "Afternoon Delight" and continued with "Evening Reflections". I/K. Look! More than one chapter!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This story was definitely the hardest of the trilogy. This concludes the series - I don't think I will be writing a sequel unless there's an absurd demand for it. This is a little different from "Afternoon Delight" and "Evening Reflections". It started out as a straight one-shot like those two, but it kind of took on a life of its own. I didn't mean for it to end the way it did - it was supposed to end much earlier. Enjoy!

  


**Disclaimer: ** Inuyasha and all his friends are the property of Takahashi Rumiko, not me. I am only borrowing them.

  


**Morning's Truth**

An I/K story

by Maia Serrelinda

  


The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon. Its light colored the sky violet-pink and was enough to illuminate the dewdrops that clung to the grass and flowers that carpeted the meadow, creating the illusion of millions of glittering stars.

  


Inuyasha opened his eyes slowly, slightly winded from his actions of a few moments ago. He shot a quick glance at the body that lay in the meadow with his own. He felt the other's skin underneath his own, and noted with some satisfaction that the chest below his own was shuddering, trying to breathe deeply, an impossibility due to the hanyou currently pinning it to the ground. 

  


He chuckled to himself as he blew the dark hair out of his mouth. He lifted his head slowly only to notice the blue eyes that met his own golden ones. They practically glowed with hidden fire and Inuyasha laughed to himself again and allowed the corners of his mouth to lift in a satisfied smirk. He knew he had no intention of freeing the body below his own, not until he was finished.

  


The hanyou felt his breathing return to normal and prepared himself to rise. He was surprised to feel the other's arm against his chest, and then grinned as he felt it begin to attempt to push him away. He laughed again, out loud this time, and bared his fangs in a victorious snarl. He knew that he would soon finish what he had started moments earlier.

  


******

  


He had been running headlong through the forest to the meadow beyond, followingthe scent of the one who ran ahead of him. He could hear the sound of laughter as the other ran faster than he had thought possible. He grinned to himself as he thought of the things he would do that body when he caught up. The other's laughter continued as blue eyes glanced back to gauge his progress. A final burst of speed led him to the small meadow, and he knew that if he could just reach out--

  


His prey slowed to a stop and turned to face the grinning hanyou. They looked at each other, separated by only a foot or so. Inuyasha's golden eyes gleamed in anticipation and the blue eyes that met his own gleamed with anticipation as well, and was there something else? Inuyasha thought he could see love in the other's eyes as well.....wait. Love? His amber eyes widened in surprise, and he stepped closer, his hand rising seemingly of its own accord. 

  


He suddenly caught a taste of a new scent-- no, several scents. He knew he would have to finish this quickly, before they were caught--

  


"Osuwari!"

  


Inuyasha groaned at the first sound of her voice. He wasn't going down without a fight! He grabbed the arms of the one in front of him--

  


Kouga's eyes widened in horror. He'd seen Kagome enter the meadow as he and Inuyasha faced off. He'd also seen the young miko use this particular spell and his mind knew exactly what would happen. His thigh muscles bunched and prepared to spring when he felt Inuyasha's clawed hands grab his biceps. 

  


"Oi, Inu-korro! What the hell--!"

  


Inuyasha slammed to the ground, his hold on the wolf youkai never lessening. Kouga groaned as he hit the ground on his back. His breath escaped him in a soft "whuff" as he felt the hanyou's body come crashing down atop his own. He lay immobile, and felt the shaking of the hanyou laughing above him and knew he was in trouble. He opened his eyes to see Inuyasha's golden eyes glittering in anger. Crap. He had no idea how long Kagome's spell lasted, and Inuyasha did. 

  


******

  


Inuyasha could feel the spell wearing off. He prepared to spring up, ready to teach that wimpy wolf a lesson. There! The feeling was coming back to his legs! He jumped up and backed away. Kouga sprang up also, eyes wary as he faced Inuyasha.

  


The wolf youkai's eyes narrowed. He drew back his fist--

  


"Osuwari!"

  


"Keh!" The hanyou snarled as he was slammed face-first into the ground. "Bitch, what the hell was that for??"

  


Kagome strode angrily across the small clearing to where the wolf youkai stood glaring. He caught sight of Kagome and instantly smiled.

  


"I have had just about enough of this!"

  


Kouga smiled. He opened his mouth to try to convince Kagome to leave that stupid inu-korro and come lead the wolf tribe by his side, but froze when he looked into Kagome's eyes and saw-flames?

  


He blinked and slowly backed away from the angry miko, whose entire countenance sparked with barely-contained ire.

  


"Every time! Every single time you show up you have to pick a fight with Inuyasha! How many times have I told you I am NOT YOUR WOMAN!"

  


Kouga blinked, then smiled. "You are my woman! Once I take you away from Inu-korro you'll see that I can protect you better than he ever could!"

  


Kagome took a deep breath. It was obvious to everyone - except Kouga - that she was struggling to calm herself, and not succeeding. "That is IT! You have NO IDEA how many times Inuyasha's risked his own life to protect me! I will NOT stand here and allow you to insult the man I love--"

  


Sango and Miroku gasped. Kagome stopped, shocked, and her eyes widened as she realized exactly what she'd said. She flushed scarlet and turned to run--

  


Inuyasha felt the subduing spell wear off and leapt up to catch Kagome. He wrapped his arms around Kagome protectively as he sent one last snarl in the wolf youkai's direction. 


	2. Chapter 2

Kagome was mortified. She couldn't believe she'd said that out loud! True, she'd loved Inuyasha for a long while now, but she kept a tight rein on her own feelings, knowing that the hanyou had chosen Kikyou. She buried her face in Inuyasha's haori, feeling the rough fabric against her heated face as she tried to gather her courage. The Bone Eater's Well was only a few minutes away! Surely she could get there--

  


She felt a clawed hand stroke her hair before sliding down to cup her chin gently and raise her face until she was looking up at Inuyasha. Well, Inuyasha's chin, anyway; she wasn't about to look him in the eye after that little slip.

  


"Did you mean that?" His voice was soft as he looked down at the trembling girl in his arms. He brushed a few stray strands of hair out of her face.

  


"H - hai. I did." She still couldn't meet his eyes.

  


He chuckled softly and pulled her closer. He reached down and hooked his arm under her knees, picking her up to hold her as he turned to face Kouga.

  


Kouga stood in silent shock. He'd been afraid of this. He knew she'd loved the hanyou, but until now he'd thought that if he could just get her away from Inuyasha she would realize that he would love her more than the hanyou ever could. He saw the soft look on Inuyasha's face and knew it was a lost cause. He'd never thought they would actually act on the love that was so obvious to everyone but themselves.

  


Inuyasha moved closer to the wolf youkai, ignoring the wide-eyed stares of the taijiya and houshi behind him. He stopped a short distance away from Kouga.

  


"You should leave, you know. She's mine." He heard Kagome's soft gasp of shock and smiled at her.

  


"Inuyasha!" She flushed an even darker red, burying her face in Inuyasha's haori again. She wished that the ground would suddenly open up and swallow her. When it didn't, she sighed and opened her eyes again. She turned to look at Kouga again.

  


"He's right, you know," Kagome said. Kouga's eyes glittered with hurt. "I've always belonged to him, even if he didn't always know it. I'm sorry, but even if he doesn't return my feelings, I can't just leave him. I'll always be by his side. I can never just forget him. Don't hate me?"

  


Kouga felt the rise of tears and he ruthlessly stomped them down. He would NOT show that stupid mutt how much this loss hurt him!

  


He looked at Kagome, nestled in Inuyasha's arms as if she had always belonged there. He knew it was a lost cause. "I could never hate you, Kagome. Just promise me one thing?"

  


Kagome lifted eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Hai?"

  


"If he ever hurts you.....you'll find me?"

  


Kagome nodded. Kouga turned to the remnants of his pack and whistled to them. Ginta and Hakkaku sighed wearily and looked up in time to see the familiar whirlwind fading away in the distance. They knew he'd be hell to live with for a while, but he was their leader and they'd stand by him.

  


"Ja, neesan!" Ginta and Hakkaku yelled in unison as they began to follow Kouga's path.

  


Sango and Miroku looked at each other. They'd thought Inuyasha would pound Kouga for sure this time, but after Kagome's outburst, Inuyasha seemed to have forgotten all about the fight. Sango shrugged and turned to where Inuyasha and Kagome were standing.

  


"Kagome-chan? Are you okay?"

  


"Hai, Sango-chan. A little embarrassed, but yes, I'm okay."

  


"Keh! You two go back to the village. We'll meet you in a while." Inuyasha turned, with Kagome still in his arms, and walked to the other side of the clearing, where a small rock sat in a spot of sunshine. He slowed and sat, adjusting the miko in his arms so that he could hold her closer. Sango glanced at Kagome one last time, then turned and fisted a hand in the monk's robes, forcing him to turn away from the couple and walk with her back towards Kaede's village.

  


Kagome's embarrassment was slowly fading, to be replaced with confusion. Why wasn't Inuyasha saying anything? 

  


"Why didn't you ever say anything before?" Inuyasha asked, his breath ruffling Kagome's hair. She was still refusing to meet his gaze and had tucked her head underneath his chin.

  


"Hello? You're in love with Kikyou, who happens to be trying to drag you to hell with her! How am I supposed to compete with that? Can't you just forget I said anything?" Kagome could feel her anger slowly building with each word. She was beginning to regret trying to stop the fight. Maybe she should have let the two idiots beat the snot ouf each other.

  


"Baka," Inuyasha's soft voice broke into her thoughts. "I paid my debt to Kikyou when she sealed me to the Goshinboku. The Kikyou that's wandering around stealing dead souls is not the Kikyou I knew. That Kikyou is gone now."

  


Kagome's eyes widened and she moved her head until she was looking up at Inuyasha. She wasn't prepared for the warmth his amber eyes held and she felt her cheeks flush again.

  


"I won't lie to you and say that I never loved Kikyou. I loved the Kikyou that was. I admit that in the beginning I did see you as another version of Kikyou-" he paused at Kagome's outraged grasp and tightened his embrace - "but I've known for a long time now that you aren't the same person as Kikyou. Where Kikyou was restrained, you're open and caring. Kikyou may have loved me, but it was in her own way and on her own terms. You're not like that. It's one of the things I love about you." He smiled and mentally counted down the seconds: three.... two.... 

  


"You what?" 

  


"Kagome, somewhere along the line, between the battles and the travel, and even the angry fights with each other, I fell in love with you." He hugged her closer, inhaling the scent of her hair.

  


"I - Inuyasha?" Her eyes were sparkling with unshed tears. "I.... I love you, too."

  


He closed his eyes in relief. He was afraid she'd try to deny it after her impromptu declaration in front of everyone. His eyes flew open again, however, as he felt her lips on his jaw. He remembered to breathe again as he felt her small hands slide up his chest and rest, one hand on his cheek and the other resting on nis neck. 

  


He looked down at her again. She was gazing up at him with damp blue eyes wide with hope. He heard her small intake of breath as he bent down and placed a small kiss on her forehead. Her eyes closed and he kissed each eyelid, tasting the slight saltiness of her tears. He kissed the tip of her nose, then stopped to gaze at her lips.

  


She opened her eyes again and looked at the hanyou she loved. Her heart pounded nervously - 

  


His lips met hers. Her eyes slowly closed as she savored the sensation. Her hands slid under his hair to rest on the back of his neck as he deepened the kiss slightly. He cupped her head in his hands and growled softly as he let the tip of his tongue flick out to taste her lips. He felt more than heard her small gasp and used the opportunity to slide his tongue alongside her own, tasting and teasing. He felt her relax and hid his own small gasp as he felt her tongue hesitantly take charge, flicking lightly along his lips and tracing the outlines of his fangs. He growled low in his throat and pulled away suddenly, placing another light kiss on her now-swollen lips.

  


She blinked up at him in surprise. "Why did you stop?"

  


He shook his head to clear it. "Much more of that and I might not have been able to. You're young, Kagome. I don't want to do anything that would hurt you. Here, in this time, you're old enough to mate, but in your own time, you're too young, aren't you?"

  


Kagome laughed shakily. Mate? In her wildest dreams she never thought she would be discussing mating with Inuyasha! "Yeah, Mama is very understanding, but I think even she would be upset. Jii-chan would freak."

  


"I want to do this the right way, Kagome. You should be courted. Youkai court their mates as humans do. Trust me?"

  


Kagome nodded shyly. Inuyasha smiled again and set her gently on her feet in front of the rock they had been sitting on. He stood and slid an arm around her shoulders as they began to walk back to the village to meet the others. 

  


He smiled as he felt Kagome's arm hesitantly snake around his waist. Someday, not too far from today, he would make her his. 


End file.
